Afghanistan Peace Campaign
Sixty-six members of the US Congress have urged the Trump administration to halt the planned deportation of more than 150 Afghan nationals, warning that their return could expose them to persecution under current administration.
The lawmakers sent a letter on Monday, November 2, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, calling for the cancellation of deportation flights involving Afghans and Iranians. The initiative was led by Democratic Representative Scott Peters of California.
The letter followed reports that the US administration planned to fly more than 150 detained Afghans from Louisiana to Pakistan, with arrangements for their onward return to Afghanistan. The first flight was expected to take place as early as Tuesday, according to reports cited by the lawmakers.
“Do not hand over the people who stood alongside our troops to the Taliban, either directly or through Pakistan,” the lawmakers wrote, warning that deporting people to Afghanistan or Iran could expose them to harassment, torture and even death.
According to The New York Times, which first reported the planned operation, the group includes relatives of Afghans who worked with the US military, as well as people who could face persecution because of their personal circumstances or perceived ties to the former Afghanistan government and foreign forces.
The Associated Press reported that court documents showed US authorities planned to transfer at least some Afghan detainees from Louisiana to Pakistan, followed by onward transport to Afghanistan. The US has no diplomatic relations with the Taliban authorities, making direct deportations more complicated.
The lawmakers said the United States had a responsibility to protect Afghans who risked their lives and the safety of their families by assisting American forces during the two-decade military presence in Afghanistan.
They also pointed to accounts of former Afghan partners who have gone into hiding, faced threats or been pursued since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. The letter warned that returning such individuals and their relatives could place them in serious danger.
The US Department of Homeland Security has declined to confirm future removal operations, citing operational security and the safety of personnel, according to the Associated Press. It was not immediately clear whether the planned flight had departed or whether the administration would respond to the lawmakers’ demand.
The Taliban-led Afghan Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it was prepared to engage constructively with Washington over the return of Afghan nationals. In a statement reported by Reuters, the ministry urged the United States to act responsibly and said third countries should not use another country’s citizens as bargaining instruments in exchange for temporary concessions.
The planned deportations come amid wider changes to US immigration and refugee policies under President Donald Trump. Human rights and refugee advocacy groups have warned that sending Afghans through a third country could expose them to removal to Afghanistan, where people perceived as having supported the former government or foreign forces may face retaliation.
The lawmakers’ appeal adds to growing pressure on the administration to reconsider the removals and address the safety of Afghans who supported US operations in their country.